Our default idea of a traditional pierogi might be filled with potatoes and cheddar cheese, but Perla Pierogies co-founder David Serban says the Parma spot’s sweet cottage cheese pierogi ($9.79 per dozen) is more faithful to the dish’s Old World origins in Ukraine and Poland, rather than the Americanized version we’ve come to expect.
“It was more common just because they had farmer cheese, which is a white cheese,” he says. “They didn’t have cheddar cheese.”
Each pierogi is filled and sealed by hand at Perla’s downtown Cleveland facility before shipping out to its Parma retail location or stores such as Whole Foods.
The cottage cheese pierogies taste slightly sweet and dessert-like thanks to the addition of a hint of vanilla extract and some sugar. While the ingredients may seem simple, the flavor is comfort-food bliss.
“Who doesn’t like fried dough with mashed potato or other fillings inside?” Serban asks. “It’s just really basic and awesome.” 5380 State Road, Parma, 216-741-9222, perlapierogies.com
Click to read our Cleveland Pierogi Guide, a taste of 25 of Cleveland's best pierogies.
Pierogi Guide: Perla Pierogies
Parma's the place for traditional Polish, and to those in the know, the sweet cottage cheese, not potato, is the OG filling.
